Rubber overshoe



W. C. JACKSON RUBBER OVERSHOE Nov. 11, 1952 2 SHEETSSHEET 1 Filed Aug. 26, 1949 INVENTOR Wflz 7'51? 6 Jvcmsal ATTO EYS Nov. 11, 1952 w. c. JACKSON 2,617,209

RUBBER OVERSHOE Filed Aug. 26, 1949 -2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 "'IIIIIl/III I I 23 2/ INVENTOR W175? C (fax 50M Patentecl Nov. 11, 1952 UNITED STATES RUBBER OVERSHOE Walter C. Jackson, Rahway, N. J., assignor to Tingley Reliance Rubber Corporation, a corporation of New Jersey Application August 26, 1949, Serial No. 112,513

The present invention relates to an improvement in overshoes and particularly to that type of overshoe made of elastic material, such as rubber (natural or synthetic).

An overshoe made of rubberized fabric or rubber reinforced by a fabric lining and designed in accordance with conventional practice, is comparatively inelastic and, therefore, can fit properly only over an inner shoe of one definitecorresponding size. In my U. S. PatentNo. 2,254,685, issued September 2, 1941, there is disclosed an overshoe which may be made entirely of rubber or made at least with an all-rubber upper, and which is designed to enable an overshoe of one size to be stretched both lengthwise and sidewise to fit properly over inner shoes of di-lierent sizes within a definite prescribed range.

One object of the present invention is to provide a new and. improved overshoe of the socalled storm type, having an instep tongue which, although made entirely of rubber, has enough rigidity to maintain its shape against curling or buckling in or out of use, whichcan be easily manipulated and flexed to permit the overshoe to be applied easily over the inner shoeand which, when the overshoe is applied to the inner shoe, fits over the instep section of said inner shoe with close conforming contact maintained even during walking action- Another object is to provide a new and improved overshoe of the so-called storm type which, although provided with an instep tongue, is constructed and designed to permit the mouth margin of the overshoe at thebase of said tongue to expand freely when said overshoe is being applied over the inner shoe and to hug. the inner shoe with a close conforming fit when said overshoe has been fully applied over said inner shoe.

and during walking action.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved overshoewhi'ch is designed to fit properly over. inner shoesof diiferent sizes within a definite prescribed range and which anchors firmly to the heel of the inner shoe against play, regardless of the size of said inner shoe within theprescribed range.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an overshoe having a heel section effectively reinforced in a new and. novel manner against the outer edge cutting or wearing action of the inner shoe heel thereagainst;

Various other objects of the invention will be apparent from the following description and from the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of an overshoe made in accordance with the present invention;

'9 Claims. (Cl. 367.3)

Fig. 2 is an elevation of one side of the overshoe;

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the overshoe;

Fig. 4 is an elevation of the opposite side of the overshoe;

Fig, 5 is a longitudinal section taken on the line 55 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a detail longitudinal section of the rear portion of the overshoe shown applied to an inner shoe of minimum size within the prescribed range;

Fig. "7 is a detail longitudinal section of the rear portion of the overshoe as Fig. '6, but shown applied to an inner shoe of maximum size within the prescribed range; and

Figs. 8, 9-, 10,711., 12 and-.13 are enlarged detail sections taken on linesB-B, 9-9, ill-Ill, ll-l], I2-l2 and l3-l3 respectively of Fig. '2.

Referring to the drawings, the overshoe embodying the present invention is shown of the storm type, and is made of elastic material, and

desirably of vulcanized rubber (natural or synthetic), elastic enough to permit it to stretch to such an extent that one size of overshoe will fit several different sizes of inner shoes. Thus, threesizes of overshoes, designated as small, medium and large, for example, are all that are necessary to fit inner shoes ranging, for example,

from size 7, having a pointed toe, to size 1-2, having a pointed toe. The small overshoe is stretchable to. adapt it to fit inner shoes ranging, for example, from size'i, having a pointed toe, to size 8%, having a medium shape toe, the medium overshoe is adapted to fit inner shoes ranging, for example, from size 8%, having a .1 medium shape toe, to size 10%, having a poin ted toe; and the large overshoe is adapted to "fit shoes ranging, for example, from size 1-0, hav-- ing a medium shape toe, to size 1-2, having a 7 pointed toe. These size ranges are illustrative only and may differ according to the 'last.

The overshoes are desirably free from "fabric reinforcements, especially in the upper parts above the soles, to permit said overshoes' to stretch, restricted only by the inherent resiliency of the rubber. The overshoes are made preferably of good rubber stock, which is strong but which at the same time is elastic enough for the purpose indicated. To that end, the overshoes may be made of rubber stock similar tothat used for pneumatic tire treads.

The overshoe shown in the drawings comprises at the lower base part a sole It), a shank H and a heel 12, and at the upper part a toe i3, a vamp M, an instep tongue l5 and a counter l6 con- 3 nected to said toe and said vamp by sides 1'! and I8.

When the overshoe is stretched over the inner shoe, the side edges of said overshoe tend to distend in a straight line between the extreme side points of the toe and counter of the inner shoe, leaving openings between the side walls I! and I8 of the overshoe and the corresponding side walls of the inner shoe, especially in the region of the shank or arch. These openings aiford access to water, rain or snow, so that the overshoe does not perform properly its intended function.

On the other hand, if the overshoe is of such size that its upper is not stretched enough to pull its side walls away from the corresponding side walls of the inner shoe, these side walls of the overshoe, nevertheless, buckle down or pucker outwardly away from the side walls of the inner shoe when the latter bends as the weight is shifted from the heel to the toe in walking. The result is that the overshoe does not fully protect the inner shoe against the elements of inclement weather.

To overcome these disadvantages, the overshoe is provided with tension strips 20 and 2I formed by the thickening up of the web from which the overshoe is made and diverging from opposite sides of the shank I i up the sides I! and I8 of the overshoe. The tension strip 20 extends from one side of the shank II rearwardly and upwardly along one side ll of the overshoe, runs around the top margin of the counter I6 and extends downwardly and forwardly towards the other side of said shank on the opposite side I8 of the overshoe. At its rearmost portion, the counter I6 is formed with a thickened reinforcing strip 23, merging with the tension strip 28 at the top of the counter and extending vertically downwardly therefrom.

At its base, the counter I6 is formed at each side with a thickened reinforcing strip 25, rising from the heel I2 and extending rearwardly to merge with the vertical reinforcing strip 23.

The tension strip ZI extends from one side of the shank II forwardly and upwardly along one side I! of the overshoe towards the base of the tongue I5, and acutely turns near this base, to merge into a thickened binding strip 26 running around the margin of said tongue to the opposite side I8 of the overshoe. At this opposite side I8, the binding strip 25 acutely turns near the base of the tongue I to merge with the tension strip 2| on said side of the overshoe. The tension strip 2| on this side I8 of the overshoe extends downwardly and rearwardly to the corresponding side of the shank I I.

As in the overshoe of my aforesaid patent, the shank II is thickened at its opposite sides and these thickened areas serve as anchorages for the ends of the tension strips and 2|. These tension strips 20 and 2i have their ends extending in overlapping relation where they anchor to the shank II. The tension strip 28 is comparatively thick at its anchorage in the shank I I and decreases in thickness until it merges into the rear reinforcing strip 23. The tension strip 2I decreases in thickness from its anchorage in the shank II up to the area 44 and then increases in thickness to a maximum at the region i3.

Where the tension strips 20 and 2! diverage from the shank II on each side of the overshoe, they define a substantially triangular section 39, which is thinner than the web at the tension strip sections and which, therefore, is more readily stretchable than said latter sections, permitting thereby the mouth margin of the overshoe to expand readily when applied to inner shoes of different sizes within the allowable range, and aiding in contracting said mouth margin on the inner shoe when in use. By increasing the thickness along the top edge of the triangular section 39, as shown in Fig. 13, this top section will hug the inner shoe tighter. For this purpose, the top edge of the triangular section it may be thickened for a depth of about inch.

The toe I3 has extra reinforcement 3|, which not only adds to the ornamental appearance of the overshoe, but provides a greater thickness of material affordin protection against scuifing and wear in those overshoe regions subjected to heavy duty. This toe reinforcement 3I also serves to maintain the toe I3 against collapse when the overshoe is not in use.

With the construction so far described, when the overshoe is applied to an inner shoe, the sole l0 and the upper are both stretched to fit the inner shoe. The tension strips 20 and 2|, being adapted to stretch when the overshoe is applied, offer greater resistance to stretch in the localized areas of these strips and are, therefore, placed under greater tension, thereby hugging closely the sides of the inner shoe.

The reinforcing strip 23 at the rear of the counter I6 serves to prevent said counter from curling when the overshoe is not in use, and the reinforcing strips 25 at the base and sides of said counter provide for greater wear in these regions of the counter, add to the ornamental appearance of the overshoe and cooperate with the rear counter strip 23 to prevent said counter from curling when not in use.

As a feature of the present invention, the tongue I5 is constructed to maintain its shape against curling, to flex and yield easily when the overshoe is applied to an inner shoe and to hug closely and protectively the instep of the inner shoe when said overshoe is applied to said inner shoe. To that end, the tongue I5 has its thickness gradually increasing throughout its width from its base upwardly towards its free end, as shown in Fig. 5, so that when the overshoe is not in use, said tongue will maintain its fully extended shape, and when the overshoe is being applied, the tongue can be freely bent forwardly about its base to permit the inner shoe to enter easily into the overshoe and after the inner shoe has been inserted into the overshoe, the tongue will snap back into its correct fully extended position. Moreover, by not thickening the base of the tongue I5, the vamp l of the overshoe is made more easily stretchable to fit snugly over inner shoes of different sizes, within the prescribed range.

The binding strip 26 around the tongue I5 not only adds to the ornamental appearance of the overshoe, but also aids in imparting form sustaining rigidity to said tongue when not in use. Without materially resisting the bending of said tongue forwardly in the process of applying said overshoe, and in addition aifords reinforcement against tear. A bead 33 around the mouth margin of the overshoe and around the edge of the tongue I5 assists in this latter function, besides enhancing the ornamental appearance of the overshoe.

As another feature, the tongue I5 is shaped with its sides 36 extending at a general angle with each other smaller than the general angle between the sides of the instep of the inner shoes 51. to which the overshoe is adaptedtafit, as shown in Fig. 10. To maintain such angularity in the sides. of. the tongue [5, the thickness. of the. longitudinal medial region 31. of the tongue, along its. length from the free end thereof to a. region short of its base is greater than that of its. sides 36, this thickness tapering from said medial region sideways to regions between said medial region and the. side. edges 33 of said tongue and then increasing to said; side. edges. The outer surfaces 38. of the tongue sides 35 converge towards a comparatively sharp apex 40v to set. the angularity of saidtongue sides, while the inner surfaces 41 of; said tongue sides are joined at the medial region 37 of the tongue by a curved. surface 42 for close conforming engagement ofsaid tongue with the instep of the inner shoe, when the. overshoeis applied thereto.

With the angularity of the sides 36 of the tongue l set so acutely with respect to the angul'arity of the sides of the instep of the inner shoe, when the overshoe is applied to the inner shoe, these tongue sides will spread about the medial region 3101? said tongue, will hug the instep of the inner shoe and will shape themselves to conform therewith.

The medial region 31 of the tongue I5, thickened as described, serves not only for the purpose indicated, but also serves as a reinforcing rib to impart form sustaining rigidity to said tongue when not in use.

As a further feature, on each side of the overshoe, where the tension strip 2| and the binding strip 26 merge at the base of the tongue l5, they form an acute bend 43, and between the sides or arms of said bend, there is defined a substantially V or triangular section 44' of unthickened web, serving as an elastic gusset, by which said tongue may be easily bent forwardly, and the mouth margin of the overshoe stretched or expanded to fit an inner shoe during the process of applying said overshoe to said inner shoe. These elastic gusset sections it also serve to constrict the mouth margin of the overshoe over the inner shoe when said overshoe has been fully applied.

The thickened side arms of each bend d3. flanking the corresponding elastic gusset section 46 act like a V-shaped spring affording resistance to the pull on the tension strip 2! and the thin triangular section 30. tends to return to its molded shape, this. characteristic aids the elastic gusset section 44, especially on small size overshoes, in hugging the inner shoe closely.

As another feature of the present invention, the overshoe is dimensioned and designed around the base thereof to obtain a firm foothold on the inner shoe when applied thereto. For that purpose, the heel 12 of the overshoe defines, an elongated socket fl5, the length of which is substan-- tially greater than the length of the heel receiving socket of a normal overshoe of corresponding overall sole, length, so as to receive not only the heel of the smallest inner shoe within a prescribed range, but also the heel of .the largest inner shoe within that range. This heel socket 45 has a front upstanding wall 46 at the rear end of the shank I I and said wall 46, due to the lengthening of the heel socket, is located forwardly of the position it would normally occupy with respect to the rear upstanding wall 48 of the overshoe, to such extent that the breast face of the heel of the smallest inner shoe within the prescribed range will bear firmly against this front wall 46., while the upper rear end of the counter of said Since molded rubber always curvature of the outer edge of the 6. inner.v shoe. will. bear with. a. sligh stretohinefit against the. f rwardly i clined upper rear end. of: thecounter [6 of the overshoe asshownin Fi 65, This serves. to anchor effectively the overshoeagainst play to the smallest innerv shoe within the. prescribed range.

The heel socket 4.5. of the. overshoe, moreover, Y

anchorage between the front; upstanding wall 46 of the heel socket 45. and the rear upstandin wall 48 of said heel socket.

It will thus be evident. that; when the'oyershoe: is applied to an inner shoe. of maximum size within the prescribed range there will be. left; in front of the heel breast face ofsaid inner sh0e a space sufficient to permit, the heel. breast:..fa.oe. of a smaller inner shoe within the, prescribed range, when the overshoe is applied; thereto, to shift forwardly within the overshoe to. an extent limited only by either the abutment of; theqtoe. of the inner shoe against the toe of the. overshoe,v in intermediate sizes ofinner. shoes, or by. the abutment of the heel breastface against the; front. upstanding wall of the. heel socket in, aninner. shoeofjminimum size, it beingunders'tod that-the. inner shoe of isuch minimumsize. will be. of sun; cient length to substantially fill. the front portion of the overshoe even ifthe toe of. the vinnershoev does not abut the toe of the overshoe. It will also be understood that the overshoe not intended to be applied to inner shoes outsidethe limited prescribed range, since such inner shoes would be either too small or too large to make a proper walking fit with the overshoe.

As a further feature of the invention, the bottom wall 50 of the overshoe heel H! has a pair of curved ribs 5| and 52 of substantial concentricity, as shown more fully in Fig. 3. The smaller or inher rib 5| is curved to follow substantially the heel of the smallest inner shoe which the overshoe is-de s gned. to accommodate, and the larger or outer Ilb 52 is curved to follow substantially the curvatureof the outer edge of the heel of the largest inner shoe which the overshoe is designed to accommodate. The rib 5| is located so that, when the overshoe is accommodating the smalL est inner shoe within outer edge of the heel of said inner shoebears. downwardly against said rib near its. outer perriphery, as shown in Fig. 6.v The wearing or cutting action of the inner shoe heel. on the bottomv heel wall 50 of the overshoe is thus effectively.

resisted. Likewise, the rib 52 is located so that. when the overshoe is accommodating the largest. inner shoe within the prescribed range, the outer edge of the heel of said inner shoe bears. down-; wardly against said rib near its inner periphery, as shown in Fig. 7, thereby effectively resisting the wearing or cutting action of said inner shoe heel. The wearing or cutting action of. inner shoe heels of in-between sizes is resisted by the sharing action of both ribs 5! and 52.

The ribs 5| and 52 servenot only to resist the cutting action of the inner shoe heel thereon, but also serve as reinforcements against ordinary the prescribed range, the.

abrasive wear at the regions where such wear is likely to be heaviest. By providing two spaced ribs and 52 instead of a single rib of combined width, the flexibility of the bottom heel wall 5% is maintained.

The ribs 5| and 52 are desirably encompassed by a tread design 53 for anti-skid purposes. This tread design 53 is shown in the drawings covering only a small area, but actually it desirably covers the entire heel area.

The sole ill of the overshoe is desirably provided near its center, where the greatest wear is apt to be encountered, with a reinforcement shown comprising a circular ridge 5d and a plurality of arcuate ribs 55 concentrically encircling said ridge and spaced therefrom and from each other, so as not to impair the flexibility of the sole. This reinforcement is desirably encompassed by a tread design 55 for anti-skid purposes. This tread design 55 is shown in the drawings covering only a small area, but actually it desirably covers the entire sole area.

While the invention has been described with particular reference to a specific embodiment, it is to be understood that it is not limited thereto, but is to be construed broadly and restricted solely by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An overshoe of the storm. type, with its upper made entirely of one piece of elastic material and having V-shaped notches on the sides respectively defining therebetween an instep tongue, the outer surfaces of the sides of said tongue being each of continuous contour and converging laterally of said tongue towards a substantially P sharp medial longitudinal apex, while the inner surfaces of said sides are joined at the medial longtitudinal region of the tongue opposite said apex by a curved smooth surface spaced from said apex sumciently and in a manner to taper said tongue from its apex section sideways.

2. An overshoe of the storm type, having its upper made entirely of one piece of elastic stretchable material and having V-shaped notches on the sides respectively defining therebetween an instep tongue, said overshoe having on each side an angular thickened flat strip-like section near the base of said tongue, one arm of said angular section extending along the margin of said tongue, and the other arm extending along the side of the overshoe near the upper margin thereof, said arms defining therehetween at the apex of the corresponding notch a V-area of unthickened web serving as an elastic gusset.

3. An overshoe of the storm type, having its upper made entirely of one piece of elastic stretchable material and having V-shaped notches on the sides respectively defining therebetween an instep tongue, said overshoe having a shank, said overshoe having a thickened section defining a flat strip extending from one side of the shank upwardly and forwardly towards one side of the base of said tongue to define a tension strip portion for one side of said overshoe, then around the margin of said tongue to the other side of the base of said tongue to define a binding strip portion for said tongue, and then downwardly and rearwardly towards the opposite side of said shank to define a tension strip portion for the other side of said overshoe, said strip having bends where said portions are joined together to define in the regions between the sides of said bends at the apexes of said notches V-areas of unthickened web functioning as elastic gussets, and to act as V-shaped springs.

4. An overshoe for inner shoes of various sizes within a limited prescribed range, the upper of said overshoe having a marginal mouth section of elastic material adapted to be stretched when the overshoe is applied to an inner shoe within said range and to be constricted by its inherent resiliency against said inner shoe, said overshoe having a sole, shank and a heel portion, said heel portion including an elongated heel receiving socket with front and rear upstanding walls, the front upstanding wall of said socket being located forwardly of the position it would normally occupy with respect to the rear upstanding wall of the heel socket of a normal overshoe of corresponding overall sole shank-heel length, whereby when the overshoe is applied to an inner shoe of maximum size within the prescribed range the rear face of the heel of said inner shoe will contact said rear upstanding wall and there will be left in front of the heel breast face of said inner shoe a space permitting the heel breast face of a smaller inner shoe within the prescribed range. when the overshoe is applied thereto, to shift forwardly within the overshoe to an extent limited only by either the abutment of the toe of the inner shoe against the toe of the overshoe, in intermediate sizes of inner shoes, or by the abutment of the heel breast face against the front upstanding wall of the heel socket in an inner shoe of minimum size.

5. An overshoe according to claim 4, wherein the bottom wall of the heel socket is thickened along its rear outer margin to receive the bearing pressure from the rear outer bot-tom edge of the heel of the inner shoe of maximum size within the prescribed range, and is also thickened inwardly of its rear outer margin in a localized area positioned to receive the bearing pressure from the rear outer bottom edge of the heel of the inner shoe of minimum size within said range.

6. An overshoe according to claim 4, wherein the bottom wall of said heel socket has a pair of substantially concentric ribs, one rib extending along the rear outer margin of said bottom wall to receive the bearing pressure from the rear outer bottom of the heel of the inner shoe of maximum size within the prescribed range, and the other rib being located inwardly of said rear outer bottom edge of the heel of the inner shoe of pressure from the rear outer bottom edge of the heel of the inner shoe of minimum size within the prescribed range.

'7. An overshoe according to claim 4, comprising a counter, and elastic tension strips anchored to the opposite sides of the shank and extending therefrom up the side portions of the upper and around the top edge of said counter, said elastic tension strips serving to hold the front wall of the heel socket firmly up against the heel breast face of an inner shoe of minimum size when the overshoe is applied thereto. 8. An overshoe according to claim 4 comprismg a counter having a forwardly inclined stretchable upper rear portion terminating in a top rear edge located more forwardly of the rear upstanding wall of the heel socket than in a normal overshoe of corresponding overall sole shankheel length and being adapted to contact with a slight stretch fit the upper rear end of the counter of an inner shoe of minimum size within the prescribed range when the overshoe is applied thereto and the front breast face of such inner shoe abuts against the front upstanding wall of the heel socket.

9. An overshoe according to claim 8 comprising elastic tension strips anchored to the opposite sides of the shank and extending therefrom up the opposite side portions of the upper and around the top edge of said counter, said elastic tension strips serving to hold the front wall of the heel socket firmly up against the heel breast face of an inner shoe of minimum size within the prescribed range.

WALTER C. JACKSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 436,553 Wilson Sept. 16, 1890 Number Number 

